1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns boat trailer arrangements and more particularly boat trailer arrangements which are adapted to accommodate sail boat pairs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many forms of modern recreation such as motorcycle touring, bicycle riding, snowmobiling, etc. have become family or couple oriented and have accordingly required the use of transport or trailer arrangements which are capable of accommodating two or more items of the equipment involved, i.e. motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc. Sailing of smaller or personal sized sailboats would seem similarly adapted to such participation patterns, which would render desirable a boat-trailer capability for trasporting two or more sail boats. Trailer arrangements heretofore for a plurality of boats have generally involved rack-like structures in which boat pairs are positioned side by side and, in some instances, stacked. This stacked approach is generally used to transport canoes or other easily handled craft, and when this approach is applied to sailing craft of the size and type contemplated would suffer from the disadvantage of the relative difficulty in launching such craft is experienced, inasmuch as their weight is usually excessive for such handling by one person. A further disadvantage of these arrangements is the relatively great aerodynamic resistance of the hulls inasmuch as there is no attempt to streamline the boat and trailer assemblage.
In the context of sail boats, the storage of the various items of rigging such as the sails, masts, booms, spars, etc. can present a considerable inconvenience and successful handling of this detail can contribute in no small part to the relative enjoyment of the sport since the packing and unpacking of the rigging can be an annoying chore if suitable stowage systems are not provided. Prior art boat trailers have in the past not entirely solved this problem.
Finally, the participation in such sports is commonly carried out in resort areas remote from the home of the boater in which cases it would be highly desirable to provide such trailers with tent conversion capabilities as has been done in the past with other trailer arrangements.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a boat trailer arrangement in which a pair of boats may be accommodated in such a manner as to minimize the handling of the boat required in carrying out a launching operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a boat trailer in which a very organized and convenient storage arrangement is included.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a trailer arrangement in which the boat hulls are positioned so as to utilize the potential aerodynamic efficiency of the boat hulls to facilitate transport with a minimum of aerodynamic resistance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a trailer arrangement which has a tent conversion capability.